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Comments
As far as a spoiler add-on, I witnessed a red (autumn?) LS with a spoiler shortly after buying my LS. I felt it seriously detracted from what I consider to be the understated luxury/performance look of the car. The spoiler appeared to me to be a giant step towards making the LS look like a Pontiac Bonneville SSEi, the clown of sport sedans with more plastic pieces and parts than seems possible.
To those who have a spoiler or a Bonneville, people say I have a big nose.
If so, what were the steps?
Slightly off topic warning:: I also second swauger's remark about the empty parking lot. Everytime I hear someone make a snide comment about "must be nice" or some such horsesh** I think about empty parking lots and 2am cell phone calls while on vacation. Fortunately that doesn't happen often. You ought to take a look at this speech about "fortune" by an Atlanta based talk radio host I like to listen to once in a while. You will have this running through your head everytime you watch the 6 o'clock news.
Back when we were making out wish lists for J.Rogers (months ago), I listed dual visors because, here in Texas, the sun is murder at some angles. My '93 Buick LeSabre has them. Surely a Lincoln should.
I think it's terrific. I want a patch for my jacket. And a hat. Maybe a decal if small enough for a corner of the quarter window.
Hector
I think you're a creative genious! Coupling a tour of the Wixom plant with the Detroit Grand Prix would be awesome. Traveling from Arizona would probably preclude me from driving, but since I have family not far from Detroit/Wixom, lodging fees would not be an issue. I think I could even have a few gear-head relatives in tow! I can hardly wait to get this set-up!
was having 3 - 4 second response times on shifts into Reverse. The shifts to Reverse
from anywhere are now sub-second. Leith L/M in Raleigh did the work, along with the 8K
oil change and tire rotation (also ball joints checked OK). No loaner car, as it was
done in an hour. I spent most of the hour chatting with some L/M sales people
about using LLSOC.com and Edmunds.com as sales tools for the LS. They couldn't believe
the stories about the Irvine Mania event.
Put Leith L/M (Raleigh, NC) on the "A" list for dealers.
Splash guards: (Thanks for the part numbers) I've asked my dealer for a price to install. These are definites. Nothing worse than a bunch of road tar etc caked on the lower body under the front doors and rear quarter.
Spoiler: I appreciate the opinions of all, good and bad on this one. I would think long and hard before doing it. I'm going to try to contact swauger's dealer if mine has no spoiler contacts. There's one link on LLSOC to a co. that has unpainted spoilers for $240. But I think they lack the taillights. I guess I'm looking for a way for the exterior of the car to give more of a hint of what lies inside.
Pinstripe: Yeah, that one slipped my mind. Saw a charcoal or black LS at Mania event with a little pinstripe job. Looked nice. I didn't see yours, Rene. In fact, my biggest regret from Irvine is that I didn't think to spend time looking at how all you LS fanatics personalized your own cars.
Front lic bracket: I'm gonna call the dealer and tell them not to install this one. Even though I'm in california, I don't have a bracket or a license plate on the front of my Mark8 and it doesn't seem to have bothered anyone with a badge.
Moonroof air deflector: Gonna wait and see on this one.
Bra: Good points by johnnylinc on the downsides of this. Probably will skip it.
Lamp guard kit: Another interesting possibility. **Also, I see on the Registry that some folks have replaced their headlamps.** Are the factory ones not bright enuf? They'll look fine to me, I'm sure, being used to those on my pre-Xenon Mark8.
Wood kit: I'm probably gonna do this. I lost the link to exotic, but remember they have a few diff kits from a couple to 9 or more pieces as I recall. I think I'll be happy with covering the black plastic around the radio and HVAC control areas. Can't imagine where else the wood may go.
Tinted windows: I worry about having them wrinkle, as swauger points out. Maybe I'll rethink this one.
Speakers: I hope I don't have to tear the door panels off and swap speakers, but am resigning myself to this as a probability. I'll live with it first and see how it sounds. Will test for sure with some favorite CDs: Beatles, Beethoven, Eminem :>)
Thanks agian, George and Whitney
Brian
Any siuggestions for them other than to push the right button!!
I purchased my dashmat at Checker Auto, but I'm sure they can be found in most auto parts stores. They come in a host of colors and usually match or complement interior colors quite well. I have the light graphite interior, and chose the smoke colored velour dashmat. It secures with adhesive-backed velcro that you can place in multiple locations of your choice. I have found that the dashmat provides excellent UV protection from the sun, thus protecting it from early cracking and general deterioration. Further, as the web site explains, it reduces the film build-up on the windshield resulting from the gasses emitted from the vinyl dash material. The carpeted material is guaranteed not to shrink, while the velour is not, although I have owned several velour mats for my various vehicles without ever experiencing shrinkage (my last was 10 years old). My LS dashmat fits perfectly, and has cut-outs for the sensors located at the base of the windshield between the vents.
I hope someone finds this useful.
I just checked on the visors. The passenger side is $125, the drivers (with HOMELINK) is $460. So much for that idea! Oh well, after SDG&E quits ripping me off on my gas & electric, maybe then I can afford the change
I agree w/jdonnee on the logo. The rear spoiler/wing is a little much. Maybe more of a NASCAR type spoiler.
As I said in my chat in Irvine, the LS was crafted by a group of enthusiasts who started to appear from every area of the company as they learned how serious Lincoln was about the LS. It's an awesome environment.
You folks really do help set the agenda here at Lincoln. Be assured that your posts and commentary is read and discussed.
I had promised some info in CA.
Lugnut torque spec is 85-105 ft-lb.
I recommend that you don't lower your LS. THe geometry and suspension compliances are all optimized to a specific ride height, so the ultimate grip may be slightly affected, but the transient response of the car will be changed in unforeseen ways. I talked in Irvine about the rear compliant steer effect which gives us great agility at low speeds yet makes the car stable at autobahn speeds - mess with it at your own risk. ... For more details, ask JR ( the marketing guy who had to move the rear-view mirror to the side window on the autocross... ha-ha!).
I would only recommend the released tires on the LS. This Firestone is pretty special. I agree that sometimes the owner has a different set of priorities, but how as a consumer do you predict what you will get for steering precision and NVH etc. BEFORE you buy, to be sure you'll meet your priorities? I drive a Super 7 all summer, if you are wondering about MY priorities.. :-) Just my 2 cents.
I enjoyed the commentary about advancetrac on the autocross. The BMW/Lexus strategy appears to be late and therefore heavy intervention. Ours is more subtle, IMHO, thanks to the work of some ex-Benetton F1 engineers who opted to deliver the LS system. Proprietary - I can't explain further. For an expert driver hyped on adrenaline on a dry track, Advancetrac prevents the lurid slides etc. to get thru TIGHT turns. Drinking coffee, on the interstate, doing the cell phone, in the wet, you'll be very happy you have it.
GLad to see we did the right thing deleting the curb feelers and Landau roof from our future plans .
Again, the mania event and this board is super energizing for the peope living and breathing the LS. THanks!
Insurance: This car is cheaper to insure than my Eagle Vision. Neither was especially expensive, so the driving factor is probably the person rather than the car.
300M baiting: I just can't resist. These people are so damn proud of their cars that are sold at 0.9% financing with god-knows how many thousand dollars of rebate. I used to own one, and it was fun. . .until it fell apart. It could corner well, but compared to what we enjoyed at Irvine, there's absolutely no contest.
Options: I didn't record who was asking for option advice, but as most of you who follow this forum know, I'm big into keeping things simple. That aside, window tint and splash guards are good things. The window tinting may be location-dependant. If you live in the hellhole that is Phoenix, you will be blessed with dozens of firms that can do an excellent, long-lasting job. They have to, to stay in business. If, on the other hand, you live in an area in which tint is a fashion statement rather than a requirement, your're on your own. As to the splash guards, the aerodynamics of the car are such that any crud on the pavement WILL end up on the side of your car.
LS Mania II: God, I'd love to participate. However, since I have kids and we tend to do the family vacation stuff in the summer, it could be difficult. That said, I still might be able to "juggle" things. Keep us posted.
Logo for LS Mania: Brian, you've done such a wonderful job (the site doesn't pulse anymore, and everything's much easier to access) that I hesitate to even whisper a discouraging word. That said, I will now echo the respnse regarding the spoiler: IT SUCKS. The rest of it is wonderful. Where do I sign?
I used a dealer installed kit (actually done by a local shop) because nobody else had the exotic kit yet, they didn't have any pictures of it and they wanted $75 restocking fee if I didn't like it. So I let the dealer do it because I saw one in the showroom and knew what I was getting. It's probably the same kit. It matches perfectly. Here's an old picture of mine - I covered the entire center console and IMNSHO it looks fabulous!
http://home.att.net/~ajkirby/lsdash.jpg
If so I have two questions:
1. Does it work properly?
2. For someone who is technical, 3 on the scale of 1-5 (5 is the highest), is it visable to install on your own?
I have followed the LS Mania posting and wish that I could have attended it but maybe if the summer Mania goes I will be there! Am interested in putting in the wood but I don't want all the pieces so I just might forget it. I will however, have the splash guards put on.
One of the major reasons for buying the LS in addition the free sked maintenance was having the use of a Lincoln loaner car! When I took my Benz in for service they had Honda Civics as loaner cars! I was all over the owner about this but to no avail. I loved the car but that was all! I promise not to vent as long in the future. I love the car and where can I get a Lincoln LS hat?
I'm having a front tag made that has the Lincoln symbol in red and the L and S on either side in gold to go on the front license brackett.
raymmer, the former T-bolt in my early life.
Mike.
Scott
Sorry, Brian, I have to go with the anti-spoiler crowd.
============================================
Hello Brian! Yes! We are always up to a challenge! Our next autocross is February 10 in the big west lot at Qualcomm Stadium. But before I give you a formal invitation I should ask you how many participants you would expect from your club? I want to make sure that we have enough room at this event. Typically we run our autocross events with no advance registration. We have a first come, first served policy for registering the day of the event not to exceed 80 entrants. It is not necessary to have a BMW to run but you must be a club member to run. Those who are not club members can sign up as a new member the day of the event. We have many club members who run non BMWs such as Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros, VWs, Acuras, Audis and Mercedes. Our autocross events typically run $40 which includes lunch. BMW club membership is $35 per year. I might add that our next event is in the west lot at Qualcomm where we have been able to set up tracks as long as 1.4 miles long! Please let me know if you have an interest in our next event so I can talk to the rest of our team to see how we can best put this together! Look forward to hearing from you.
Jeff Sobczyk
P.S. Almost forgot! If you have an interest in renting a lot at Qualcomm you need to contact Enid Warnock at 619 641-3105.
Brian Gowing wrote:
Hi Jeff! My name is Brian Gowing and I'm the founder of the Lincoln LS Owners Club, LLSOC for short. I came across the SD chapter of the BMWCCA site and I noticed you folks hold autocrosses. LLSOC is a new club that started 2 months ago and we already have about 100 members from all over the country, with quite a few in SoCal. We just held an event at LM HQ in Irvine with an autocross setup at Wild Rivers, which everyone really enjoyed. I was wondering if your folks would be interested in a little friendly competition at an autocross? The LSs are all stock, with variations of the 6/8 Sport and non-Sport models so we wouldn't want to go head-to-head against M3s. But it would be a lot of fun to go up against the 3 and 5 series, excluding the 540i! What do you think? Would you folks be interested in sharing some of your autocross time with the upstarts from the States? Check out our site at www.llsoc.com and let me know. Also if we wanted to hold an autocross of our own at Qualcomm how do we go about doing it? Thanks!Brian Gowing
Founder/LS Evangelist
Lincoln LS Owners Club (LLSOC)
www.llsoc.com
brian.gowing@llsoc.com
Brian
The good news is that Leavy has volunteered to be on several more chats with us. I will make sure that it is set for a more agreeable time so that all coasts can actively participate. We will focus on one performance area at a time so it won't be so confusing. Plus a lot of the stuff that was up in the air may have materialized by the next chat and Leavy can give more concrete answers.
I'll also take a separate backup of the chat so in case the loss of the transcript turns out to not be my fault, I'll have another copy available.
I chose the velour dash mat because it more closely matches the texture of the headliner material that runs down the A-pillars as opposed to the carpeting/mats. Since these materials meet with each other, I considered this choice to be best (not to mention that I just plain prefer it).
If you can't find a store that carries the dash mat product, I would suggest that you contact them (e-mail, or phone) and inquire where you can find their nearest retailer, as I am sure that you could view the sample colors. When I placed my order at Checker Auto, the dash mat was completed in less than 10 days! And that was this time last year. It fits perfectly!
The good news is that Leavy has volunteered to be on several more chats with us. I will make sure that it is set for a more agreeable time so that all coasts can actively participate. We will focus on one performance area at a time so it won't be so confusing. Plus a lot of the stuff that was up in the air may have materialized by the next chat and Leavy can give more concrete answers.
I'll also take a separate backup of the chat so in case the loss of the transcript turns out to not be my fault, I'll have another copy available.
Not really, they are two extremely different approaches to automotive design, luxury sport sedan vs. muscle car. I've owned my share of Stangs, and while they are fine cars (and I enjoyed them immensely at the time), they don't offer the refinement and luxury features the LS does, and I think a lot of people shopping for things like Lexus, BMW, baby Benz's, Passats, etc. are looking for more luxury and fewer raw edges than the Stang represents. As I've gotten a little older and traffic has gotten progressively worse, the LS is more my style, comfortable, luxurious, but still fast and handles extremely well, still has enough performance to keep me smiling.
Check out www.partsvoice.com Click on find auto parts in the pull down menu and go from there. Very useful if you have a few dealers to chose from. It will tell you who has your part in stock. Note: it's not updated daily, I understand it is updated montly, but still could be of use if you have a need and the dealer shows more than 1 in stock....
They have an amazing array of things for the Mark ranging from full engine service for the Romeo V8 to high-stall torque converters, suspension kits, entire rearend center sections, driveshafts, 17" & 18" Cobra wheels to fit the Mark, cold air kits, ignition systems, underdrive pulleys, etc-you get the picture. They seem to also have nitrous kits and superchargers, although these windows would not open up. There are also appearance items and what looks like killer exhaust systems (complete with downloadable sample sound bytes).
I know that a number of you owned (or still own)Mark VIII's. You will enjoy their photo gallery. There are pictures of Marks doing big, smoky burnouts and even a couple Marks that appear to be set up for pro street drag racing. Who ever thought there were 12 second Mark VIII's "on the bottle" running around on the street? Sorry for babbling, but as a one-time 1/4-miler/street racer, I really get off on this stuff. After I cleaned the drool off my keyboard, I returned to what interests us. I called their east coast number (NJ, Brian)and got voice mail. By that time in the afternoon, after struggling all day with our new "paperless system" software at work, I was not in the mood. I have emailed them asking for specifics re the LS and a catalog, if they offer one. I mentioned llsoc.com and Edmunds; that there was an untapped enthusiast market for the LS. They seem to offer discounts to clubs, specifically Lincolns of Distinction (LOD).I eagerly await their reply. I will post any response.
In the meantime, if anyone is interested, the address is: http://www.maxrpm.com/2001/newlms/lmsindex.htm.
They also have some good links to other Lincoln sites including one with a picture of a modified LS. You west coast guys, note that they have a Las Vegas location. Phone numbers are in the "contact us" section of the site.
Brian, a "refined" logo will look great on a shirt or hat. BTW-any progress on the shirts you had in the works.
Of course, you know I will make every effort to attend a summer bash in Wixom!
Also, I think your artist might prefer a crack at what's left after the spoiler removal. The balance seems just a tad off.
Maybe move the hood ornament star to upper left & reduce it ???
Brian: It seems to me that you deserve all rights for manufacture and marketing of LLSOC paraphenalia
Logo looks great Brian!